A fifth-round pick of the Phillies in 2006, Berry was a 27-year-old rookie with his fifth organization in less than two years when he got his first big-league chance in Detroit last season. Four teams deemed him unfit for the majors before he showed the Tigers otherwise in 2012.

Berry was taken in the same draft as Domonic Brown. He roamed the outfield in Double-A Reading with Brown before he being plucked off waivers by San Diego at midseason. When he left town, Brown basically was considered one of the premier hitting prospects in baseball.

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“He was always a high guy on their radar, and for good reason,” Berry said after starting in left field for the Tigers during Sunday’s 5-5, 10-inning Grapefruit League tie at Joker Marchant Stadium. “He’s a phenomenal athlete with a good body. The sky is the limit for him. He has so much potential.

“But talking to him, he ran into a rough spell the last year or two, and he had to really battle.”

It has been a battle for Brown the last two seasons, both with injuries and pointed critiques about his performance and focus. This winter, just when it seemed the Phillies were going to give Brown a clear shot at being the every-day right fielder in 2013, they signed former Tiger Delmon Young to an incentive-laden contract and announced right field was his for the taking.

However, with Young out for most of the spring as he recovers from ankle surgery, Brown seems to be ready to make a rebuttal. Veterans have remarked about the way the 24-year-old has carried himself in camp, and in both the intrasquad game and the opening two Grapefruit League contests, Brown has been hitting balls on the screws. In the eighth inning Sunday, Brown hit a massive solo homer off Detroit reliever Al Alburquerque to tie the game.

“Do you notice how he’s swinging nice and easy, staying behind the ball, good balance?” Charlie Manuel said of Brown. “He has big power, and he’s showing it.

“He has the potential to be a good hitter, and we’re talking about average and power. Especially in some of those National League ballparks. And that would really help us.”

Berry never had the hype or expectations Brown has had on him, but he is an example of what can happen when an organization loses patience too soon with a player. He was in his fifth professional season as a left-handed outfielder with the organization in 2010 when, after hitting .210 in the first half of the season at Double-A Reading, the team tried to get slip him through waivers and off the 40-man roster. After struggling with the Padres’ Double-A team the rest of that year, the Mets selected him in the Rule 5 draft. New York deemed him unfit to play for their awful 2011 squad, so the Reds signed him as a free agent for the rest of that year. After that season. Berry latched on with the Tigers.

And, wouldn’t you know, at 27 years old, he figured it out.

When Detroit was beset by injuries in its outfield, Berry got the call in late May. He hit .258 in 291 at-bats for the Tigers, and stole 21 bases in 21 tries for a team that played in the World Series.

His advice to the Phillies on Brown: Don’t make the mistake of letting him get away.

“They sent him down to the minors a couple of times and he had to really dig deep, try to get better and do what he feels the organization wants him to do,” Berry said of Brown. “I think he’s really grown up and come along in that aspect. He’s a phenomenal athlete. He’s going to have a ton of success.

“He got called up when he was, what, 21, 22? It took me until I was 27 to get in the big leagues. The guy definitely has some things guys don’t have. I’m happy for him. I hope he gets the opportunity to play.”

NOTES

Ryan Howard had an encouraging day at the plate and running the bases, lacing a pair of doubles, including one off left-hander reliever Kyle Lobstein. He also tagged up on a fly out to center and hustled to third base, joking that he only made it “out of fear.” Howard, who had reconstructive Achilles’ tendon surgery 17 months ago, has been struggling to get comfortable getting his stride correct rounding first base ... Veteran right-hander Rodrigo Lopez threw three shutout innings in relief, and Antonio Bastardo was sharp while throwing a perfect inning of work following Roy Halladay ... Kevin Frandsen, who started at third base, went 2-for-3 with a home run ... The Phillies host the Tigers this afternoon, with Cliff Lee making his first start.